Some history and pilsner - thanks, Berlin!

Our departure from Prague was more like an escape. It was pouring on our walk to the train station. I swear the raindrops in Prague are closer to the effects of a water balloon fight. We were soaked. There was no time to say goodbye to Prague, we had to run for our lives. The thought of a five hour train ride from Prague to Berlin was quite daunting but it literally flew by. I wrote a bit for the blog while Erik finished yet another book (I believe he is on his fifth or sixth by now), of course I napped for an hour or so and I also read. Right now I am reading Water For Elephants. It's great. I mean, great. I wanted to read it years ago when it first arrived on bookshelves, but forgot about it somehow. The movie being recently released was a great reminder. I have a hard time finishing books. Not that I can't or don't have the time, it's that I simply hate to say goodbye to the story. I typically drive like crazy through the first half of a book, but, once I realize that I'm halfway through, I start to get sad that it's almost over and then, slow down. There are many books I haven't finished because of this. Sounds silly now that I'm actually putting this into words, but it's true. I will finish Water For Elephants. I have nothing else to read and we simply cannot fit another book in our carry-ons. With Erik picking up a book at every corner, there is no space left. He is a speed reader. I like that about him. It impresses me.

Berliner Pilsner

So, the train ride went quickly and before we knew it, we were in Berlin. We were greeted by the coldest weather we have experienced in Europe thus far. I'm not sure how cold it was, I don't know how to convert from Celsius to Fahrenheit, and I always forget to Google it … but, it was cold. Erik once again pointed us in the right direction for another quick and accurate route to the hotel. The Tryp Berlin by Wyndam was exactly what Erik thought a German hotel would be. I didn't really get it, but to him it made sense. This hotel gets my vote for 1) best bed 2) best shower 3) best amenity: a towel warmer (AMAZING!) Still feeling the symptoms of his cold, Erik went for a nap and I managed to update the blog by purchasing some time online. After two weeks in Amsterdam with free internet service, buying it is quite annoying. Erik woke from his snore-filled slumber and we decided to explore a bit. It was cold, though, and Erik was still sick, so it would be a semi-short time out of the warmth of our hotel. Unfortunately, we didn't pack what this weather required so we layered up and went.

The streets of Berlin are strange. It didn't feel like Berlin. Amsterdam felt like Amsterdam. London felt like London. Prague felt like Prague. But, Berlin did not feel like Berlin. At times, it didn't even feel like we were in Europe. It had the feel of a big city. The noise, the soot, the foot traffic … of course it wouldn't have that old Europe feel because the majority of Berlin was destroyed in WWII. Very little of Berlin could even be restored. Keep in mind that we were just in Prague and the buildings there had been in existence since the 13^th Century. That's not to say that Berlin doesn't breathe history. It was all around us. We made our way to Gendarmrkt, which was recommended on TripAdvisor as the greatest square in Berlin. Usually the square is packed with people but with the cooler weather, sadly, we felt all alone. The square is walled with two massive churches, one Protestant, one Catholic and another where the Berlin Symphony Orchestra plays.



this is for Leo!

Schiller - a German poet

We continued our walk in search of some authentic German food. Little did we know, if you're looking for German food, you won't find it in Berlin. With the second largest Turkish population in the world, authentic German food consists of the Donner Kebab. We wound up in an Irish Pub. That was fine for us. We wanted a Berliner Pilsner, brewed just outside of the city, and we could find it here. It was warm in our booth and we found comfort in the light pilsner flavor. After our bones thawed we decided it was time to get back out and walk toward our hotel. We stopped on the way and bought The Kids Are Alright, a movie we both had wished to see long ago but had never gotten around to it. With only a few English channels and an early night in, this would be necessary. I love Julianne Moore – not because we look alike (and you know I love redheads) but because she is full of talent. Annette Benning is just as fantastic. Throw in a little Mark Ruffalo goodness and we had a night of entertainment. We loved the movie.

 Wednesday morning we woke early to grab breakfast and walk to the TV Tower, where we were to meet our Fat Tire Bike Tours group. We were a group of 10 or so lead by Kate, our tour guide. She too is Kate with a K and she's also just Kate. Immediate connection. Originally from Australia, Kate's family moved to Canada when she was in grade school. She moved to Berlin four years ago. Her accent cannot be identified. Kate was full of interesting information and had brilliant delivery. With a drama background, we sure got lucky! She provided the ins and outs of Berlin and everything in between. One side note, she mentioned, is that Berlin has tried to “make up” for Nazi Germany and Communist Germany for some time and part of that comes from how liberal the city is today. Berlin currently has the third largest Gay & Lesbian population in the world, we also learned that, outside of Turkey, it has the largest Turkish population as well.

Like our bike tour in Amsterdam, the bikes were all named. I rode Sade and Erik got Fluffy. This was fitting for Erik. His hair has grown to the point of no return, well, not quite, but when it gets to this point we call it fluffed out. So, the situation could not be any more perfect. Kate took us up and around Berlin. A five hour bike tour with stops every few minutes to see the sites. This included the Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, the Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe, the Victory Tower, Checkpoint Charlie, the Berlin Wall, one of two guard towers left in the city, the site of Hitler's bunker and … well, I could go on and on. We stopped for lunch at a beer garden and enjoyed some warm food and cold beer. We chose the pilsner again. We sat with two Americans (from California, Morgan though, was originally from Omaha) and four Aussies. Steven and Diane are from Darwin, Australia and Lexi and Andrew from Camera, Australia. Steven and Diane have been married for 33 years, Morgan and Brent married for 2, Lexi and Andrew together for 1.5. We talked of our relationships, how we met, where we've been and so on. They enjoyed our engagement story and, for obvious reasons, we were thrilled to share. It would have been possible to sit there the rest of the day, drinking beer and getting to know our new friends, but we had to press on. With just one more hour and a lot more to see, we bounced from one spot to the next. We have decided that bike tours are the way to go. Of course Amsterdam and Berlin are both friendly to the biking community, and this is an important part, but what a way to see it all. After the tour ended, we chatted for awhile with our lunch buddies. Once again, I was sad for our new friendships to end. Steve and Diane gave us their card and prompted us to come to Australia for a visit. I'm sure you aren't surprised to know that this quite possibly will be our next big adventure.

Sade & Me

One of the many museums on Museum Island

Former site of the Berlin Palace - they plan to rebuild

Famous Humboldt University - Albert Einstein attended

not a lot of bratwurst, but you betcha there's currywurst

This was where the Berlin Wall divided East and West Berlin

Checkpoint Charlie

In front of the Reichstag,  home of the German Parliament

Brandenburg Gate



The Victory Tower



This piece of the Berlin Wall cannot be demolished because it is above SS Headquaters, a historical site.

We only had time for a few minutes at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe on the bike tour and we needed a closer look, so Erik and I made our way back to the Memorial. Like many, this Memorial was not for the faint of heart. I've been to several Holocaust Memorials but this one had a very personal touch. One room projects the name of a victim on the walls. A voice over shares a small story about this person to include a portion of their life and sadly, their death. I read that it would take over 6 years to hear all of the names and stories they feature. This room and many others offer the personal stories of many families that fell victim to the Holocaust. Above ground, there are over 2,000 stone blocks in rows. This is the actual memorial. Erik and I weaved our way through the stone, in silence.



A quote from Primo Levi, an Italian Jewish chemist & writer

Inside the Memorial - letters from concentration camp victims to their families

 The Memorial, over 2,000 stones, covering almost a city block

Our day ended with some Thai, Berliner Pilsners and a little BBC News. After being out and about for over 12 hours, it was great to have a hot shower and a restful nights sleep.

This morning we woke and grabbed the 9:35 train out of Berlin to Heidelberg. I write from a First Class car on a high speed train.... next stop Frankfurt and on to Heidelberg.

Happy Cinco de Mayo and a very Happy Birthday to my cousin, Nathan!

Cheers,

Kate & Erik

5/5/2011